Are you ready to go to the Purple Level?

If you have finished the Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green Levels, you can
move forward to the Purple Level. If you haven't finished those
levels, you will have a busy weekend ahead of you. One way to
review is by looking at the blog, starting with January and ending
with the blog entries for April. Remember, the blog is kind of like the
classroom. I post there almost every day, especially during the
week.

Lesson One in the Purple Level begins on Monday. The Purple Level
features 20 verbs that I consider essential for writing and speaking. If
you had only 20 verbs to learn in English, these are the ones.

The first four levels of the website are designed so that students
have a basic understanding of English grammar. The next three
levels, Purple, Orange, and Violet are designed to improve speaking
and writing abilities. Of course, I'm always working on the website,
so there's still a lot more to be added to all seven levels. The
American Vernacular section (slang and idioms) can be completed at
any time.

Updates:

There's a new section for Classroom Verbs. This is for beginning

level students who are new to English and need to know basic
vocabulary for the classroom; however, the audio tracks will help
everyone with their pronunciation.

There's a new YouTube video for the verb "make" in the causative
form.

There's a new webinar on May 5. Click here to sign up.

That's all for this week.

Have a good day!

Your teacher,

Paul

Click here for a checklist of lessons

Blue Level
 Red Level

Yellow Level

Green Level

Purple Level

Orange Level

Violet Level

Video Lessons

Links

Idioms

Chat

How to Learn

Vocabulary

U.S.
Citizenship

Blue Level Lessons

1Be 2Be - Negatives 3Be - Questions 4Nouns / Pronouns 5This/That These/Those

6There 7Present Tense 8Present Continuous 9Have 10Articles 11Prepositions
12The Past Tense 13Information Questions 14Possessive Adjectives 15Possessive
Pronouns 16Be - Past Tense 17Time, Day, and Date 18The Months of the Year
19Count & Noncount Nouns 20The Days of the Week 21Numbers 22Addition
and Subtraction 23can / can't 24have to 25Review

Blue Level

Lesson One
Be - Present Tense
Subject + verb

Singular Plural
 I am We are

You are You are

He is
She is They are

It is

Write in your notebook. Whenever you see a chart like this,

write it out in your notebook by hand

Subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.

"You" is singular or plural.
The verb "be" changes with the subject to am, is, or are.

I am a
teacher

You are a
student.

He is a
man.
She is a
woman.

It is an
apple.

I
We are
people

you
I + you = we

You are
students.
 They are
workers.

The verb "be" is the most important verb to learn

in English. It's also the most complicated. In the
present tense it has three forms: am, is, are. In
the past tense, it has two forms: was and were.
The verb "be" is also used to make the passive
voice.

Exercises for Blue Level - Lesson 1

Blue Level

Lesson Two
Be - Present Tense Negative
Subject + (be) + not

Singular Plural

I am not We are not

You are not You are not

He is not

She is not They are not

It is not
 write

I am not a
student.

You are
not a
teacher.

He is not
a woman .
She is not
a man.

It is not a
chair.

We are not
students.

You are
not a
family.

They are
not
students.
 write

contractions:

I am not We are not

I'm not We aren't

We're not

You are not You are not

You aren't
You aren't
You're not You're not

He is not
He isn't

He's not

She is not They are not

She isn't They aren't

She's not They're not

It is not
It isn't

It's not

Bad English, but often used, is ain't

I ain't We ain't

You ain't You ain't

 He ain't
She ain't They ain't
It ain't

This video explains how ain't is used.

"Ain't" is not good English; however, many

Americans use it, especially young people.

Blue Level
Lesson Three
Be - Present Tense
Questions
(Be) + Subject + ____?

Singular Plural

Am I.... Are we...

Are you... Are you....
Is he....
Is she... Are they....
Is it.....

Yes-No Questions:
Question: Are you a student?
Answer: Yes, I am.
 Am I a teacher?
(Yes, you are.)

Are you a student?

(Yes, I am.)

Is he a student?
(Yes, he is.)

Is she a student?
(Yes, she is.)
 Is this a house?
(Yes, it is.)

Are we people?
(Yes, you are / Yes, we
are. -----It depends on
who is asking the
question)

Are you workers?

(Yes, we are.)

Are they a family?

(Yes, they are.)

write

Lesson Three Practice

1. _____ he a good student?
2. ______ the cars parked in the garage?
3. ______ I supposed to go to work today?
4. ______ you in this class?
5. ______ she from Mexico?
Answers:
2. 3. 4.
1. Is 5. Is
Are Am Are
* Be sure to capitalize the first word in a sentence.

Blue Level

Lesson Four
Nouns and Pronouns
Nouns represent people, places, things,
activities, emotions, and ideas.

(1) a person (2) a place (3) a thing

Nicaragua
pliers
actor
 (4) an emotion
(5) an idea

idea
love

Examples of nouns:

1. That man is an actor.

2. That country is beautiful.
3. I use pliers to fix things.
4. Everyone needs love.
5. I have an idea!

Nouns are also divided into two main groups:

Count Nouns
and
Noncount Nouns
(click on the links above for examples and then come back here)

write
Pronouns represent nouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, and
they are....
Subject Pronouns
Singular Plural

I We

You You

He

She They

It

I am a teacher.
Noun: teacher
Pronoun: I

You are a student.

Noun: student
Pronoun: You

He is a guitar player
Noun: player
Pronoun: He
 She is a mother.
Noun: mother.
Pronoun: she

It is a radio.
Noun: radio
Pronoun: It

We are people.
Noun: people I
Pronoun: We +
(I + You) = We

you

You are students.

Noun: Students
Pronoun: You
Note: "You" can be singular or
plural
 They are a family.
Noun: family
Pronoun: They
"They" is always plural.
It can be used for people or
things.

They are wooden chairs.

Noun: chairs
Pronoun: They
"They" is a plural pronoun for the
chairs.

write

There are also....

Object Pronouns
Singular Plural

me us

you you

him

her them

It

Blue Level
 Lesson Five
this / that / these / those

This That
A thing or a person is close A thing or a person is far
This = singular That = singular

These Those
Things or people are close Things or people are far
These = plural Those = plural

Close = x...y
This pencil in my hand is yellow.
These pencils are not very sharp.

Far = x..............................y
That car across the street is red.
Those cars in the parking lot are blue.

Take these stairs to get to those buildings.

That blue building in the middle of this picture is very tall.
 The video below might help:

"That" is often contracted with the singular form

of the verb "be"
That is a window. = That's a window.
That is my friend, Tom. = That's my friend, Tom.
"That's" usually sounds much better than to say,
"That is."
"That" can't be contracted in the plural form:
That're (no!)
This, these, and those can't take contractions.

Blue Level
Lesson Six
There

Singular

There is a black cat.

There is a boy behind

the tree.

There is a student in
the classroom.

To make questions:
 • Is there a boy behind the tree?
• Is there a student in the classroom?

Plural

There are three

football players.

There are two

people and two
dogs.

There are two little

girls playing with
blocks.

To make questions:
• Are there three football players?
• Are there two little girls playing with
blocks?
 There is used for information and facts. Sometimes
"there" is singular, and sometimes "there" is plural.
Examples:
• There is a clock on the wall. (singular)
• There's a rabbit in the backyard. (singular)
There is = There's. Most Americans use the
contraction, there's
• There are seven days in a week. (plural).
• There are some flowers on the table. (plural)
There are = (no contraction) Some Americans say
"there's" even when the subject is plural. You
shouldn't do that.

write:

1. _________ ________ a restaurant on this street.

2. _________ ________ a lot of people here.
3. _________ ________ some water on the floor.
4. _________ ________ a police officer over there.
5. _________ ________ some flowers on the table.
(Answers: 1. There is; 2. There are; 3. There is; 4.
There is; 5. There are)

Blue Level

Lesson Seven
The Present Tense
Singular Plural

I learn We learn

You learn You learn

He learns They learn

 She learns
It learns

You learn English every day.

He learns English at school.

They learn English on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Present Tense describes the things you do every

day. Note the use of an "s" at the end of the verb
when describing a man, a woman, or a thing.
Do not confuse the present tense with the simple
form.
Here's the present tense for the verb "work."

I work

You work
He works

She works

It works

We work

I
+
 you

You work

They work

Present Tense - Negative

do + not + verb

Singular Plural
 I do not work We do not work

You do not work You do not work

He does not work

She does not work They do not work

It does not work

Contractions:
do + not = don't
does + not = doesn't

Singular Plural

I don't work We don't work

You don't work You don't work

He doesn't work

She doesn't work They don't work

It doesn't work

Practice:
1. I ___ to school every day. (go)
2. She _____ to school every day. (go - negative)
3. Juan and Martha _____ a large family. (have)
4. He ______ a car. (have - negative)
5. You _____ from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day
(work)
6. I ______ on the weekends. (work - negative)
7. It _____ a lot in the winter in Minnesota. (snow)
8. It _____ in the summer. (snow - negative)
9. We _____ how to speak English. (know)
10. We _____ how to speak Italian. (know - negative)
answers below
click here for a quiz on the present tense

Blue Level

Lesson Eight
The Present Continuous Tense
S + (be) + _____ing
Singular Plural

I am learning We are learning

You are You are

learning learning

He is learning They are

She is learning learning
It is learning

You are learning English right now.

He is learning English at school.

They are learning English.

The Present Continuous Tense usually describes things that

are happening now, but it can also be used to describe
important things in your life, and future activity.
Do not confuse the present continuous tense with the "going
to" future or with gerunds.
Contraction: Subject + (be). Example: He + is = He's
 I am
eating.
I'm eating

You are
eating.
You're eating.

He is
eating.
He's eating.

She is
eating.
She's eating.

It is
eating.
It's eating.
 We are
eating.
We're eating.

(You + I = We)

you

You are
eating.
You're eating.

They are
eating.
They're eating.

This man is eating soup.

She is winking at you.

 This boy is getting some cotton candy.

Lesson Eight, Part II

Questions in the Present Continuous Tense
(Be) + S + _____ing
Singular Plural
Am I learning? Are we learning?
Are you learning? Are you learning?
Is he learning?
Is she learning? Are they learning?
Is it learning?

Singular

Teacher: Are you learning English right now?

Student: Yes, I am.

Teacher: Am I teaching you English right now?

Student: Yes, you are.
Question: Is he washing the window?
Answer: Yes, he is.

Question: Is she winking at you?

Answer: Yes, she is.

Question: Is it snowing?
Answer: Yes, it is.

Plural

Question: What are we doing?

Answer: We're working together.
Question: What are you doing?
Answer: We're putting oranges into basket.

Question: What are they doing?

Answer: They're working.

What is she doing?

She ____ ____________ an umbrella.

Blue Level
Lesson Nine
Have
S + has/have
Singular Plural

I have We have
 You have You have
He has
She has They have
It has

Have is usually used for ownership and description, but it's

also a very popular substitute for eat and drink.
I have a new car.
I have time to go to the movies.
She has cereal and coffee for breakfast every morning.
Have is also an important helping verb: I have lived in
Minnesota for three years. In this example, (have) + (past
participle) makes the present perfect tense.

I have glasses.

You have
sunglasses.
 He has a gun.

She has a tricycle.

The cake has a lot

of fruit on top of
it.
 We have time to
learn English.

They have a
hamburger and
french fries.

All three children

have popsicles.

Note: To make "have" negative in the present tense, use

don't or doesn't + have.
Correct: He doesn't have any money. / I don't have any
money.
Incorrect: He hasn't any money. (but okay in British
English)
 Have - Present Tense (negative with contraction)
I don't have.... We don't have...
You don't have... You don't have...
He doesn't have...
She doesn't have... They don't have...
It doesn't have...

Blue Level

Lesson Ten
Articles
A / An / The
Singular Plural

a / an the

the ---

Articles are used in front of Nouns.

"A" or "An" are always singular.
"The" is singular or plural.
Some plural nouns don't use an article.
When using articles, it's important to also know the
difference between count and noncount nouns.
 I have glasses.

(plural - a /an )

Or....I have a pair of glasses

You have a hat.

(singular count noun)

But....the second time you

describe the hat, you say:
The hat is blue.

He has some
strawberries.

(plural count noun)

The strawberries are in his mouth

(second mention).

She has a popsicle.

(singular count noun)

The popsicle tastes good!

or....
 Popsicles taste good.

The cat has some

water.
(Water is a non-count
noun)
The water is
a / an ) in a bowl. The bowl is purple.

We have time to
learn English.
(time and English are
noncount nouns.
Sometimes the is
used; sometimes it I + you = we
isn't.)

They have a good

relationship.
(relationship is a
singular count noun)
 All three children
have popsicles.
The popsicles taste
good.
(Popsicle is a plural
count noun)

There are a lot of rules for articles:

1. Don't put an article in front of the name of a place.
Correct: Minneapolis is a great city.
Not correct: The Minneapolis is a great city.
But it's correct to use the name of a place as an
adjective:
The Minneapolis skyline is beautiful at night.
2. Indefinite amounts or general qualities don't take an
article.
Pennies are made of copper.
The copper in this penny is turning brown. (this is a
specific amount)
Water is good for you.
The water in this glass tastes bad. (this is a specific
amount)
3. Don't use an article with possessive nouns or
pronouns.
This is the Paul's website.

Blue Level

Lesson Eleven
Prepositions Prepositions show location,
proximity, and relationships:

Prepositions are necessary yet somewhat

arbitrary. The most important to learn now are
in, at, and on. Most prepositions have very
specific applications as shown below:

He's putting
strawberries
He is standing on a pencil.
into his
mouth.

The cat is
drinking from
a bowl.

She is at the beach.

There is food
on the table.

The flower is in the glass.

There are hundreds of different prepositions and

prepositional phrases. To learn them all will take
years of practice. The best way to learn them
well is by reading books, magazines, and
newspapers. Listening to the radio helps as well.
You can also learn about prepositions in class
from a teacher, but it's important to realize that
it requires a lot of practice and memorization.
Some common prepostions are listed below in
alphabetical order. I'll add more as I think of
them.

about: They read about the car accident in the

newspaper.
above: Planes fly above the ground
across: We walked across the street to get a slice of
pizza.
across from: Across the street from the park is a
hospital.
after: Tom and Sue had some ice cream after dinner.
against: She was so tired that she had to lean against
the wall.
along: I noticed a lot of garbage along the side of the
highway.
at: He needs to be at work in the afternoon.
before: Before Tom and Sue went out for dinner, they
saw a movie.
behind: What's behind the door?
below: It was 41 degrees below zero yesterday. (- 41
degrees!)
beneath: Get beneath the covers and keep warm
tonight.
beside: I put the shovel beside the fence.
between: B comes between A and C.
by: You should try to be here by 10:00.
down: Let's walk down the street and get some gyros.
for: They work for a big company.
from: Ali moved to Minnesota from Somalia.
in: Now he lives in Minnesota.
in back of: John parked his car in back of the store.
in front of: The sign in front of the store told him to
park in back.
into: When we walked into the classroom, we met the
teacher.
inside: Is there any food inside the refrigerator?
near: Jorge lives near the place where he works, so he
walks to work.
of: There are plenty of apples for everybody to have
one.
off: She got off the bus at the corner.
on: Look on the table and you'll see the books.
onto: They walked onto the airplane and sat down.
out: A cat fell out the window, but he survived the fall.
outside: The teachers are talking together outside the
classroom.
through: Running through a waterfall is refreshing.
to: Did you go to the store yet?
with: Who did you go to movies with?
or....With whom did you go to the movies?

Try this exercise and see how well you do

Blue Level

Lesson Twelve
The Past Tense
There are two types of past tense verbs:

regular verbs: add "ed" to the simple form

irregular verbs: don't add "ed"

Regular Verbs Irregular Verbs

simple past simple past

work worked be was/were

live lived get got

move moved go went

walk walked put put

open opened eat ate

wait waited have had

As you can see, regular verbs add ed to

make the past tense (work / worked) and
irregular verbs change their form entirely
(go / went). The most important verb to
learn first in the past tense is "be."

Be - Past Tense
Singular Plural

I was We were

You were You were

He was

She was They were

It was

I was at school yesterday.

We were in New York last week.

It was cold this morning.

Only the verb "be" changes its form for

singular or plural. All the other verbs,
regular and irregular use one form in the
past tense, which makes this tense easy
to use for making statements. More
practice with this important verbs comes
in Lesson 16.

Regular Verb: Learn

Subject + _____ed

Singular Plural

I learned We learned

You learned You learned

 He learned

She learned They learned

It learned

Irregular Verb: Have

Subject + ________

Singular Plural

I had We had

You had You had

He had

She had They had

It had

Irregular verbs must be memorized

because they change their form
completely. Click here for a list of
commonly used irregular verbs, print
it out, and commit them to memory.

Review:
The Past Tense describes the things you did
yesterday, last year, back in February, in 1973, or
an hour ago.
Regular verbs, such as learn, take an "ed" ending
after the subject.
work---worked, learn---learned, visit---visited

Irregular verbs change their form entirely or not at

all.
eat---ate, go---went, be---was/were, hit---hit, cut---cut

The form of the past tense is not dependent on the

subject. See the example below:
Regular Verb - work:

I worked yesterday.

Irregular Verb - eat:

I ate breakfast
earlier.

Regular Verb - work:

You worked
yesterday.

Irregular Verb - eat:

You ate breakfast

earlier.

Regular Verb

He worked
yesterday.

Irregular Verb:

He ate breakfast
earlier.

Regular Verb

She worked
yesterday.

Irregular Verb:

She ate lunch an

hour ago.
Regular Verb - like:
The cat liked her
food.

Irregular Verb - eat:

She ate her food.

Regular Verb -
arrive:

We arrived on time.

Irregular Verb - be: I + you = we

We were on time.

Regular Verb -
share:

You shared a
milkshake.

Irregular Verb -
have:

You had a nice

lunch.

Regular Verb - visit:

They visited the

beach.

Irregular Verb - go /
eat:
They went to the
beach and ate
popsicles.

Try this dictation exercise:

Blue Level
Lesson Thirteen
Information Questions

Question
...used for this information.
Words...

Who a person

What a thing / fact

Where a location / place

When time / day / year / month

Why reason

How method / quality

 Questions using question words follow two basic
patterns:
Question Word + Verb + Subject
QW + V + S
Who is he?
...or
Question Word + Verb + Subject + Verb
QW + V + S + V
Where do they live?

Click to listen to the questions.

Who am I?
You're a teacher.

Where are
you?
I'm in the classroom.

What does he
have?
He has some
strawberries.
Where is she?
She's at the beach.

Why is the cat

drinking
water?
It's thirsty.

When do we
have class?
We have class in the
morning.

You + I = We

How are they

drinking their
milkshake?
They're drinking it
with a straw.
 What do they
have?
They have popsicles.

Practice:

1. ____________ are you? (location / place)

2. ____________ are those people? (people)
3. ____________ is the time? (fact / truth / information)
4. ____________ is he upset? (reason)
5. ____________ is the party? (date / time)
6. ____________ is the weather today? (quality)
7. ____________ coffee is there? (amount)
8. ____________ oranges are on the table? (amount)
(Answers: 1. Where; 2. Who; 3. What; 4. Why; 5. When;
6. How; 7. How much; 8. How many)

Blue Level
Lesson Fourteen
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives show ownership or belonging.
They must go somewhere before a noun.

I am a teacher.
You are my student.
You are a student.
I am your teacher.

He is playing a
guitar.
It is his guitar.

This is a woman.
Her hair is red.

This is a cat.
It is eating its food.

We are eating our

lunch. I

(I + you = we)

you
You are students.
You are in your
classroom.

They are children.

They are eating
their popsicles.

Practice:
1. I am practicing ___ English.
2. You are working with _____ teacher
3. We are doing ______ work.
4. They are in _______ house.
5. Open _____ books and turn to the first
lesson.
6. She wants to see ______ father.
7. It has ______ own food.
8. ______ name is (your name here).
9. ______ name is John.
10. _____ name is Julia.
Answers below

Nouns are also used as possessive adjectives:

Examples:
This is her book. / This is the girl's book.
That is his car. / That is John's car.
Where are their coats? / Where are the children's
coats?

Blue Level
 Lesson Fifteen
Possessive Pronouns

Subject Possessive Adjective Possessive Pronoun

I my mine
you your yours
he his his
she her hers
it its its
we our ours
you your yours
they their theirs

A possessive adjective is used before a

noun.
A possessive pronoun is not used before
a noun.

I am a teacher.
This is my website.
This website is mine.

You are a student.

Is that your chair?
Is that chair yours?
He is playing his guitar.
The guitar is his.

This is a woman.
Her hair is red.
My hair is brown. Hers is
red.

This is a crocodile.
It's showing its teeth.
("Its" is used for animals
and things.)

We are working on our

websites.
The websites are ours.
(mine + yours = ours)

You are students.

You are in your
classroom. This classroom
is yours.
 They are children.
They are eating their
popsicles. The popsicles
are theirs.

Blue Level

Lesson Sixteen
Be - Past Tense
The verb "be" has two forms in the past tense: was
and were

Singular Plural

I was We were

You were You were

He was

She was They were

It was

Listen and read with me:

I was in my
classroom yesterday.
You were there,
too.

He was at a
movie last night.

She was at home.

This cantaloupe was

in my garden this
morning.
It was delicious.
We were at
school yesterday.
I
(I + you = we)

you

You were on this

website earlier.

They were
outside in the
snow.

To make a question....
Singular Plural

Was I ... Were we ...

 Were you ... Were you ...

Was he ...

Was she ... Were they ...

Was it ...

To make the negative add "not"

He was not in school yesterday. / He wasn't in school yesterday.
was not = wasn't / were not = weren't
Take a quiz here

Blue Level

Lesson Seventeen
Telling Time
Important verbs for asking about and telling time:

have, know, be, tell

Questions: Answers:

Do you have the time? Sure, it's 6:00.

Sorry, I'm not wearing a

Do you know what time it is?
watch.

What time is it? 5:50

Can you tell me what time it is,

It's a quarter after two.
please?
 Important vocabulary
o'clock = :00

( 7:00 = seven o'clock )

---

a quarter after = 15 minutes after the hour

( 3:15 = It's a quarter after three )

---

a quarter before = 15 minutes before the hour

( 3:45 = It's a quarter before four )

half past = 30 minutes after the hour

( 11:30 = It's half past eleven. )

---

thirty = 30 minutes after the hour.

(11:30 = It's eleven thirty.)

---

The easiest way to tell someone the time is to use a digital

format. For example, when someone asks you what time it
is, you can say, "It's 5:30." Instead of, "It's half past five."
"It's 5:13." = (five thirteen)
or
"It's 5:02." (five o two)*

or
"It's 5:50." (five fifty)
 *Note: 0 is pronounced "O" not "zero."

Giving the Date

Question: Answers:

What's today? Today's Tuesday, June 6. (June

or sixth)
What day is it today?

What's the date? It's June 6. or It's the 6th of June.

There's a difference between "day" and "date"

• day: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.

• date: June 6

When someone asks you the date, it's not necessary to give the year. For example:

• What's the date? ----> It's June 6. (Not It's June 6, 2005)
Make sure you use ordinal numbers when you say the date. You can listen to the
way I say the date every day on my blog.

When someone asks about time in the future or the past, use the year.

• When were you born? ----> March 25, 1965

• When did you arrive in the U.S.? ----> In 2002.
• When is the next election? ----> In November of 2010.

Blue Level
Lesson Eighteen
Months

January is the first month of the year.

The first month of the year is January.
January comes after December.
It comes before February.
This month begins the year.

February is the second month of the year.

The second month of the year is February.
February comes after January.
It comes before March.

March is the third month of the year.

The third month of the year is March.
March comes after February.
It comes before April.

April is the fourth month of the year.

The fourth month of the year is April.
April comes after March.
It comes before May.

May is the fifth month of the year.

The fifth month of the year is May.
May comes after April.
It comes before June.

June is the sixth month of the year.

The sixth month of the year is June.
June comes after May.
It comes before July.

July is the seventh month of the year.

The seventh month of the year is July.
July comes after June.
It comes before August.

August is the eighth month of the year.

 The eighth month of the year is August.
August comes after July.
It comes before September.

September is the ninth month of the year.

The ninth month of the year is September.
September comes after August.
It comes before October.

October is the tenth month of the year.

The tenth month of the year is October.
October comes after September.
It comes before November.

November is the eleventh month of the year.

The eleventh month of the year is November.
November comes after October.
It comes before December.

December is the twelfth month of the year.

The twelfth month of the year is December.
The last month of the year is December.
December comes after November.
It comes before January.
This month ends the year.

Blue Level
Lesson Nineteen
Count and Noncount Nouns
Count Nouns Noncount Nouns
a car (singular) cars (plural) traffic
a chair chairs furniture

an apple apples fruit

a camera four cameras video equipment

 count nouns use singular and plural noncount nouns use only
verbs and pronouns: singular verbs and pronouns:
There is an apple. (singular) There is some fruit. (singular
There are some apples. (plural) verb)

I like that chair. ("that" is singular). I like that furniture.

She likes those chairs. ("those" is plural) I like those furniture. (no!)

A car is an expensive thing to own. Cars Traffic was heavy today.

are an expensive form of transportation.
Apples taste good
Digital cameras make photography easy.
They are fun to use.
The camera is very nice.
(singular verb)
Fruit tastes good.
TV stations have a lot of video
equipment. It is expensive.
The equipment are nice. (no!)

Asking questions for an amount or a number:

Count Nouns Noncount Nouns
How many chairs How many chairs are How much furniture is there?
are there? there?
There is one chair There are two chairs There is a lot of furniture

How many cameras How many cameras How much equipment is

are there? are there? there?
There's one camera There are four cameras There's a lot of video
equipment
Only count nouns can take a number:
There is one camera. There are four cameras.
Noncount nouns don't use numbers:
There is some equipment. There is a lot of equipment.
Knowing the difference between count and noncount nouns
will make your English sound much better. Below are words
and phrases that can be used with count and noncount nouns.
As you continue through the next levels, you will probably
need to come back to this page.

count nouns noncount nouns

a (singular) -- (no article)
the (singular and plural) the
some some
a lot of a lot of
many (large numbers) much (large numbers)
a few (3 to 4) a little (small number)
few (a very small number) little (a very small number)
fewer (comparative) less (comparative)
fewest (superlative) least (superlative)
not many (a small number) not much (a small number)
not any (zero) not any (zero)

Blue Level

Lesson Twenty
days of the week
Sunday is the first day of the week.
The first day of the week is Sunday.
Sunday comes after Saturday . Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Monday . Su M T W Th F Sa
Sunday is a weekend day.

Monday is the second day of the week on the calendar.

Monday is also known as the first day of the work week.
Monday comes after Sunday. Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Tuesday. Su M T W Th F Sa
(Everyone hates Monday because it's the first day back to work
after the weekend!)

Tuesday is the third day of the week.

The third day of the week is Tuesday. It's the second day of the
work week.
Tuesday comes after Monday. Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Wednesday. Su M T W Th F Sa

Wednesday is the fourth day of the week.

The fourth day of the week is Wednesday. It's the third day of
the work week.
Wednesday comes after Tuesday. Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Thursday. Su M T W Th F Sa
Wednesday is the middle of the week.

Thursday is the fifth day of the week.

The fifth day of the week is Thursday. It's the fourth day of the
work week.
Thursday comes after Wednesday. Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Friday. Su M T W Th F Sa

Friday is the sixth day of the week.

The sixth day of the week is Friday. It's the fifth and last day of
the work week.
Friday comes after Thursday. Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Saturday. Su M T W Th F Sa
(Everyone loves Friday because it's the last day of the week. In
the afternoon, the weekend begins. T.G.I.F. = Thank God it's
Friday!)

Saturday is the seventh day of the week.

The seventh day of the week is Saturday.
Saturday comes after Friday. Su M T W Th F Sa
It comes before Sunday. Su M T W Th F Sa

Saturday and Sunday are the weekend.

Su M T W Th F Sa
When talking about the weekend, you can use:
- on the weekend
- during the weekend
- this weekend (present and future):
What are you going to do this weekend?
- last weekend (past)
What did you do last weekend?
- next weekend (future - comes after "this weekend")
What are you going to do next weekend?

(Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5 are this weekend;

Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12 are next weekend.)

There are seven days in a week.

There are 52 weeks in a year.

Here's a video:

You're finished with the Blue Level!

Next: Red Level
or
Study Numbers 1 - 100 in Lesson Twenty-One
Blue Level

Lesson Twenty-One
 Numbers

Reading numbers above 100:

When reading numbers above 100, read the number
in the hundred position, and then the two numbers
after it. For example, 125 is read, one hundred
twenty-five.
341: three hundred forty-one.
965: nine hundred sixty-five
603: six hundred three.

Ordinal Numbers

Next: Lesson 22

Blue Level
Lesson Twenty-Two
Addition and Subtraction

addition or adding
5 + 3 = 8
five plus three equals eight
2 + 2 = 4
two and two is four
Note: Some English books will use the plural verb "equal" or
"are" for the equal sign (=). Grammatically, this is correct but
most people use a singular verb.

The teacher asks for the answer like this:

What's two plus two? (use the singular verb for "be" -- "is")
subtraction or subtracting
5 - 3 = 2
five minus three equals two
10 - 7 = 3
 ten take away seven is three
Note: The first example (using "minus") is preferred over the
second, but "take away" is popular.

The teacher asks for the answer like this:

What's five minus three?

Of course, you know how to do math in your own language,

but it's important to practice in English. Here are some other
ways to talk about addition and subraction:
• A: What do you get if you add six and eight together?
• B: You get 14.
• A: If you put two and two together, what do you get?
• B: You get four.
• A: If you add 20 to 30, what does that make?
• B: That makes 50.
The word "make" is often used when counting money.
• A: What do you get if you subtract five from nine?
• B: You get four.
• A: How much do you have if you take three away
from seven?
• B: You have four.

Blue Level

Lesson Twenty-Three
can / can't
singular plural

I can ______ We can ______

You can ______ You can ______

He can ______

She can ______ They can ______

It can ______
After the modal verb "can," the main verb is in the
simple form. What's the simple form? Click here to
learn.

I can help you.

She can go to the movies.
They can do many things with their hands.
subject modal verb main verb

I can help

She can go

They can do

To make "can" negative, add "not"

can + not = cannot or can't
singular plural

I can't ______ We can't ______

You can't ______ You can't ______

He can't ______

She can't ______ They can't ______

It can't ______

I can't help you.

She can't go out tonight.
They cannot speak English.

examples
A: Can you play the piano?
B: Yes, I can. or....
B: No, I can't.

A: Can he cook?
B: Yes, he can. or....
B: No, he can't.

She's very talented. She can

do many things.
She can speak French. She
can play the piano, and she
can dance.
A: Does she know how to
play tennis?
B: Well, she can't play very
well, but she's still learning.

A: What are some of his

skills?
B: He can use a chainsaw.

Directions: Practice writing sentences and questions with "can." Use the verb in parentheses.
1. We ________ ________ meet you later. (meet)
2. What ________ you ________ for them? (do)
3. It ________ ________ your life easier. (make)
4. They ________ ________ their rent. (afford -- negative)
5. Why ________ she _________ on time? (come -- negative)
6. Blue Level

7. Lesson Twenty-Four
8. have to
singular plural

I have to _____ We have to ____

You have to____ You have to ____

He has to ____
She has to ____ They have to ____
It has to ____

9.
10.You have to go to school tomorrow.
11.He has to do some work.
12.They have to travel to New York.
13. (These sentences are in the present tense.)
"have to" = necessary, important

After "have to" use the simple form of the verb.

14.Here are some examples:

I have to
get new
glasses.

You have
to get new
glasses,
too.
 He has to
go to work
tomorrow.

She has to
talk to her
supervisor.

It has to
ripen
before we
eat it.
 We have to
get new
glasses. I + you = we

You have
to get up
early
tomorrow.

They have
to talk
about
some new
ideas.

15.
16.To make "have to" negative:
17.do + not + have to + main verb

Singular Plural
 I don't have to _____ We don't have to ____

You don't have to _____ You don't have to ____

He doesn't have to _____

She doesn't have to _____ They don't have to _____

It doesn't have to _____

18. We don't have to be there until 8:00.

19. She doesn't have to do the dishes tonight.
20. They don't have to clean their house.
21.

22.
23. Practice
Directions: Use "have to" and the verb in parentheses
( ____ ) to complete each sentence.
1. He ________ ________ ________ his homework. (finish)
2. They _______ ________ ________ ________ to work
tomorrow. (go -- negative)
3. Alice ________ ________ ________ a dentist. (see)
4. I ________ ________ ________ eating better. (start)
5. You ________ ________ ________ some bread from the
store. (get)
6. We ________ ________ ________ ________ this chapter.
(read -- negative)
7. She ________ _______ ________ at work by 5:00 a.m.
(be)
8. This ________ ________ ________ ________ on. (be --
negative)
9. These glasses ________ ________ ________ right. (fit)
10. We ________ ________ ________ English in class.
(speak)

(Answers: 1. has to finish; 2. don't have to go; 3. has to

see; 4. have to start; 5. have to get; 6. don't have to
read; 7. has to be; 8. doesn't have to be; 9. have to fit;
10. have to speak)
24. Congratulations! You're finished with the Blue Level!
25.
26. Next: The Red Level
27.

28. Complete Lessons in Order:

1 Do

2 Do - Negative

3 Present vs. Past

4 Commands

5 Questions with Do

6 Object Pronouns

7 Special Uses for Do

8 Much / Many

9 Little / Few

10 A lot / Some / Any

11 The Future Tense

12 The "going to" future

13 Like

14 Adjectives

15 Conjunctions

16 Expressions for Time

17 Infinitives

18 Gerunds

19 Possessive Pronouns

20 Reflexive Pronouns

After you finish the Red

Level, you can go to the
Yellow Level.
 Red Level
Lesson One
Do - Present Tense
Singular Plural

I do We do
You do You do
He does
She does They do
It does

The verb "do" can be used to make a statement:

I do the laundry every weekend.
...but it is usually used to make the present tense or
the past tense negative:
I don't have any money.
He didn't go to the store yesterday.
It's also used when making questions:
Do you know what time it is?

Here's a YouTube video:

Statement: I wear glasses

Negative: I don't see well without my
glasses.
Question: Do you wear glasses?
I

Statement: You speak French.

Negative: You don't speak Chinese.
Question: Do you speak Vietnamese?
you
Statement: He works on a computer at
work.
Negative: He doesn't work outside.
Question: Does he like his job?
he

Statement: She rides a bike to work.

Negative: She doesn't have a car.
Question: Does she wear a helmet?
Answer: Yes, she does. (notice the
answer to the question uses "do." )

she

Statement: It looks ripe. (ripe=ready to

eat).
Negative: It doesn't grow in the winter in
Minnesota.
Question: Does it grow in the spring?
Answer: Yes, it does.
a strawberry = it

Statement: We live in Minnesota.

Negative: We don't live in Canada.
we
Question: Do we like Minnesota?
Yes, we do. Or....
Yes, we like Minnesota.
Statement: You play football.
Negative: You don't play tennis.
Question: Do you play football all year
long?
No, we don't. We play in the fall.
You

Statement: They walk their dogs every

day.
Negative: They don't take their cats for a
walk.
Question: Do they walk their dogs on a
leash.
Yes, they do.
They

The verb "do" is a very important verb. We use it to

make the present tense, the present tense negative, and
for asking questions.
Examples:
I do many things on the weekend. (present tense, "do" is the
main verb)
He doesn't like to go to the store. (present tense negative,
"like" is the main verb)
Do you want to see a movie? (present tense question, "want"
is the main verb)
"Do" is often used as a main verb, but only for
particular activities, such as housework, cleaning,
studying, research, and shopping.
Examples:
I do the dishes every night. (do = wash)
She does her grocery shopping at Cub. (do = go/finish)
They do their homework at the library. (do = complete)

The past tense form of "do" is "did."

Examples:
I did the dishes last night.
She did her grocery shopping at Cub.

"Do" is also used for creating emphasis:

Example:
A: You don't like this very much.
B: No. I do like it!